Myths and Legends

Jason Weiser tells stories from myths, legends, and folklore that have shaped cultures throughout history. Some, like the stories of Aladdin, King Arthur, and Hercules are stories you think you know, but with surprising origins. Others are stories you might not have heard, but really should. All the stories are sourced from world folklore, but retold for modern ears. These are stories of wizards, knights, Vikings, dragons, princesses, and kings from the time when the world beyond the map was a dangerous and wonderful place.

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The end of the saga of Gilgamesh...and possibly the end of Gilgamesh, but not if the demi-god has anything to say about it. After a tragic loss, Gilgamesh goes on a quest to defeat mankind's greatest enemy - death itself, and he learns the secrets of our destructive past.

The creature this week slathers his naked body in mud and twigs. Hows that for juxtaposition?

Gilgamesh and his new best friend are heading out on an adventure to fight a firebreathing giant named "Hugeness the Terrible." Also there's a giant deadly bull fight, talk of zombies, some tiny shoes, and light hand-holding. If those things don't make you want to listen to this episode I can't think of anything else that would.

The creature this week is splinter cat, the enemy of arboretums everywhere.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is amazing. It is quite possibly the oldest epic we have, and though it only exists in fragments, it tells a surprisingly human story. There are questions of life and death, such as what it all means and why are we here? It delves into the issues of what it means to be a human rather than just a beast, what it means to be a good ruler, and what it means to leave a legacy. These are questions relevant even today, over 4,000 years after this story was told.

Of course, it is also folklore, so there is a troubling amount of hairy nudity.

All-in-all, this three-parter will be epic.

For the creature of the week, we'll meet a creepy forest dweller with an unexpected hobby.

The story of a dragon slayer from South Africa has, of course, dragons, but it also has giant towers, underwater villages, and a frog who is just trying to have a nice dinner with his family without all the insults, thank you very much.

The creature this week is the world-famous Leprechaun. You should definitely not let him hold your baby.

Two love stories from Greek mythology...because those go so well. The first is the story of Narcissus and Echo, which was doomed from the moment one jumped out of the bushes at the other for a non-consensual hug. The second story is of Orpheus and Eurydice. Orpheus takes the (non-death) early retirement option from his heroics and just when he thought he was out...they pull him back in.

Three stories of Loki, the infamous trickster from Norse mythology. Most of his hijinks are light-hearted, and end with him getting his comeuppance, but it comes in the form of being a bridesmaid at Thor's wedding or (as in this episode) an extremely uncomfortable game of tug-of-war. What happens when a trick gets taken too far? What is the final act that turns friends into enemies and creates a rift that will consume the worlds?

The creatures this week are squat hairy naked dudes. Again. These ones are watching their sodium intake, though.

Dracula isn't a creature from myths, legends, or folklore. The fictional vampire is a product of Bram Stoker. The name, though, stretches back centuries to a prince who ruled the kingdom called Wallachia, which borders the land with which he's most famously associated: Transylvania. We'll be talking all about the pseudo-legendary exploits of the real bloody tyrant, the bizarre rules surrounding fictional vampires, and the inspirations for the most famous vampire novel of all time.

If you see your significant other on the roof scraping moss, you should just eat the soup they make you even if it makes you vomit.

The original stories of Little Red Riding Hood and Snow White, despite their Disney adaptations and being fairy tales largely told to children, are incredibly violent and gruesome. They have murder, kidnapping, and, of course, hot dance moves. Bluebeard is, unsurprisingly, a man with a beard that is blue. What is surprising is what you'll find in his basement.

The creature is from West Africa and will either sit you down for a months-long compulsory lecture on folklore...or drain your blood with its feet and eat you. I'm not sure which is worse.

For this Halloween episode, we are doing something different. Instead of diving into the stories of the past, I’m telling stories of the present. Urban legends are a more modern version of folklore where, instead of telling stories of hydras and butter cats, we tell stories of things that might just exist. In these, people are the true monsters, and the most mundane of situations can be strange, dangerous, and terrifying.

The end of the story of Jason, Medea, and the Argonauts. Things have been pretty easy for Jason. Medea solved all of his problems before he even knew he had them on the Argo, and her fairly violent murder-by-proxy of Pelias secured Iolcus for Jason's father. It would probably be a very bad idea to cheat on Medea, right? Hard times are about to catch up with Jason.

The creature of the week is the selkie, and they will either give you a tragically beautiful story to tell your half-seal children, or curse your entire island...depending on how creepy you are.

It finally comes time to fight the dragon, (hopefully) survive the return journey home, and have the showdown with Pelias. This is a big episode. If you've made it this far in the series, though, it probably doesn't matter what I write here, because you are either into the Argonaut story or not. Really, though, it is a cool episode and there are about three twist murders, a wedding, and a king with a great name.

The creature is the sea-trow, shockingly dumb and frightfully ugly, you might be offended by his pranks...if they made any sense...

The quest for the golden fleece begins for the legendary heroes packed aboard the Argo. We find them making all haste for Colchis...except for all the times they stop to feast...and drink too much...and meet beautiful women...and get in unnecessary boxing matches. We also meet the princess Medea; catch up with Cupid (Eros), a hot-shot toddler who plays by his own rules; and Theseus will remember something very, very important.

The creature this week is a roaring, spectral bull...who isn't all that dangerous, just incredibly annoying.

The beginning of the story of Jason and his legendary Argonauts doesn't start with Jason, but with Zeus being...well, Zeus, and kidnapping an unsuspecting woman. There is a dragon, a giant bronze robot, and court intrigue, leading to some familiar names coming back to help Jason travel to a faraway land and obtain the golden fleece. Those names include Hercules, Theseus, Laertes (father of Odysseus), Autolycus, Peleus (the father of Achilles), Augeus (with the legendarily dirty stables), and more. It's the biggest meetup of everyone we've met so far...well, everyone that isn't in Hades (Sisyphus) tied to a rock (Prometheus) or wandering blind through a plain (Bellerophon).

The creature looks so much like a normal person it's uncanny. I mean, he looks like a normal person once you get past his humorously big ears, nose, and hands. And his gray skin...that sometimes glows. Ok, he looks nothing like a normal person.

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Three stories of people making deals. The first is from Japanese folklore, and it's about making the most of what you have...even when what you have is a dirty piece of straw and a fly friend. The second story is about a man who made a deal with the devil...and all the stupid (maybe brilliant?) decisions he made after that deal. The third story is that of Rumpelstiltskin, a weird little imp that might have been a hero if he didn't insist on purchasing humans.

The creature of the week the poludnica, and she is looking out for you and your rights at work...violently.

Three and a half stories of monsters of the ancient world. We meet vile beasts that lurk in the forests, the murky deep, and the wide, desolate places of the world. We meet the baby, the Thor, and the saints that slay them. We meet bears that can be bribed with cake. Folklore is weird.

The creature is a little blue person. I know it's a struggle to not play in barley fields after school. It's a temptation we all deal with every day. Just don't do it. It will end with you being eaten by a little blue monster. Also, don't sumo wrestle children in the street.

A story of a super-powered Russian hero fighting the evil, also super-powered villain known as Nightingale the Robber. Nightingale can fly, kill with a scream, and lives in the shadows of his forest. The journey will take our hero from home, through multiple stays with Baba Yaga(s), and finally into a confrontation with the legendary bandit on a quest to become the man he never thought he could be.

The creature this week is sweaty, hairy, and naked...and the only way you can beat it is by wrestling it.

This week, it's two of the earliest Cinderella stories, one of which is the earliest written version of this type of story, pre-dating European versions by 1000 years. It has evil step-mothers, murderous step-sisters, and helpful cows who will vomit up your work and call you stupid.

Trying to grow a beard and keep your five-year-old from having dreadlocks? Then you do not want this week's creature hanging around your house.

It's the conclusion of the Lancelot story, and we'll immediately pick up after last week's fairly cheap cliffhanger ending. He'll finally see the end of his quest... Either by plummeting to the choppy waters below...or by the lions on the other side of the sword...or the castle full of people who want to kill him on the other side of the lions.

The creature is the Tannarak, who just wants to date you or steal your child. It really does not care, which is fairly problematic.

Things get weird on Lancelot's journey to become a knight of the Round Table...if Merlin trying to pick up a twelve-year-old last week wasn't strange enough. This week has ancient prophecies, a dangerous quest, a father and son stalker duo, kind of too much hair-smelling, and a sleazy innkeeper. Arthur has a particularly bad month, where his two closest friends turn in their resignations.

We're back in the time of King Arthur, picking up right about where we stopped off last time (though you don't need to have heard last time to listen today). We'll be talking about the story of Lancelot - where this incredibly important character came from and why he's know as Lancelot of the Lake (spoiler alert, he grew up in a lake). Merlin gets weird, and we catch up with a certain lion-befriending knight that helped to kick off this whole podcast.

The creature is the bouncy bear who is basically a bullet-proof superhero...if all superheroes did was eat horses and sleep.

Five stories of a very savvy, completely unscrupulous turtle from Nigeria. He's a trickster we've met before, but he has an entire episode of semi-murderous turtle hijinks. Even though turtles are cute and seemingly harmless, they should not be trusted under any circumstances ever. You should also avoid going into business with them, when possible.

The creature this week is the hyosube, from Japanese folklore. He's a crazy little guy who will give you fevers for just being polite.

Born in ice and fire, Norse mythology starts violently...and strangely. There's a blood ocean, a giant primeval cow, and some light grandpa murder. Thor and Loki take two kids on a field trip to Jotunheim, where, like any family vacation, Thor gets in a drinking contest and wrestles an old lady. Then, Odin travels to the far reaches of the void for wisdom and learns that he must pay a terrible price only to learn that the end, when the universe will once again be bathed in ice and fire, is coming.

The creature of the week is the sandman and you shouldn't let your kids listen to it, especially if it's right before bedtime. Basically, growing up in the middle ages was terrible and I don't know how anyone made it out without some severe psychological trauma.

The Conclusion of the "Story of Hong Gildong" takes us from the household drama of last episode to a story that spans the entirety of the Korean peninsula, with Gildong earning his title of the Korean Robin Hood. It then moves beyond Korea to mythical lands, where Gildong battles demons and becomes a doctor. Or pretends to be a doctor. I mean, it's a frontier setting in the 1600s, let's not split hairs. It's basically the same thing.

The creature this time, is cactus cat. It's a cat who wants to get drunk and party like it's 1910.

Hong Gildong has been called the Korean Robin Hood, but really oversimplifies the story. It is both an awesome adventure tale with dragons, magic, assassins, demons, bandits, and betrayal, and a complex human drama, where one young man must find and understand his place in the world. It's both action-packed, and heartbreaking. The titular character, Gildong, was born a second-class citizen, and he was determined to make a way for himself in a world that kept pushing him down, even if that meant living outside the law. This is his story.

The creature this time is the saalah, and they are what happens when a mommy genie and a daddy human (or the other way around) love each other very much.